Verdant Tea (Special)

This was tasty and a bit spicy. I enjoyed it, and would have finished it, but one of my best college friends was in town and in need of tea restocking. It is my job to make sure she never goes without, so home with her this went.

Yup, soybeans, vanilla, toasted rice and a wee bit nutty. I often don’t get the same notes that Verdant describes on their site, but this time it was pretty dead on accurate for me.

I think I like this. It’s a bit odd, but good odd. I didn’t realize that this had a green base when I put my kettle on, so I ended up steeping in in 90C water and it was delicious and smooth.

This is an interesting blend, and for once I decided to jot down my impressions of the tea as I was drinking it and not after. So here goes:

-smells like a spice mix
-aroma more complex after brewing
-almost reminds me of orange spice and pepper – at which point I’m sure I’m imagining things
-very vegetal green oolong, a little too heady
-tastes like: the broth I use to make tea eggs, I’m not even kidding
-or Numi’s savory teas
-also reminds me of Verdant’s Holy Basil Spa Blend (both have tulsi)

Overall it’s very unique, if a bit of an adventure where I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. Thanks beelicious for the sample, it’s surprising how much Verdant has experimented with blends as my impression of them leans toward straight teas (and a few well-known blends like Chocolate Genmaicha).

Another sort of ‘meh’ one this morning. I could taste the oolong easily, and there was a citrusy sourness from the Orange. But where is the spice?? I couldn’t taste that at all and I love spice!

This tea is such an interesting concept that I’ve really enjoyed trying. It’s good, but I’m not so sure it tastes like cola. I smell and taste spice. There is also a baked good quality to it. So, it’s almost like liquid moist spice bread. The bread like flavor is really prominent in the aftertaste.

nutty and softly spicy

A silver needle white tea blended with plenty of flower petals. This one has a lovely jasmine scent, both in dry form and after brewing. There’s also the slightest hint of rose. In terms of flavor, this is a superbly light and smooth jasmine tea, with a bit of fruit flavor contributing to what I suppose is the “tropical” feel. The white tea base is of good quality and has a hay-like note, evoking a sunlit sort of feeling.

A good jasmine tea with a light touch always reminds me of summer in China, and this one was nice to have on a warm afternoon. To be honest, I’m not sure how well the tropical concept of the blend succeeded here—I’m not getting much from the lemongrass, or other additions. But on sheer enjoyability this is getting a high rating anyway. Thanks beelicious!

This one’s a sipdown, and I sure will miss it. It’s such a nice balance of flavors and it’s really held up well all this time. This was my oldest tea, from way back in 2015. Slowly but surely knocking them out.

Currently fighting sleep so that I can keep an eye on this severe weather we’re having. I’m still (somewhat) awake only because I have lots of tea and snacks. I’m currently craving the following: a bologna sandwich, barbecue kettle chips (with onion dip, please), and pepperoni pizza rolls. I’ll probably eat them all at once and either a) be sick later or b) fall asleep due to the carb surplus and spill tea on my lap. Must not fall asleep.

So I’d either forgotten that this tea had rooibos or I never knew? I guess I must have known at some point because I’m the last one to update the tea page here. How curious. Anyway, I was definitely not expecting the rooibos when I made my cup tonight. I noticed it because the leaves (are they leaves or stems?) immediately floated to the top of my cup once the water hit. Not sure how I missed this. I usually give the bags a good shake, but perhaps it always settled before. I’m getting to the bottom of the bag with this one. I do primarily taste and smell the rooibos here as well, it’s crowding out the other flavors, but whether that’s because I just realized it’s there or because there’s more rooibos in this cup than usual I don’t really know. This cup isn’t as good as my last one, so maybe it does have something to do with the ratio of rooibos to black tea. I do like rooibos but it’s not really what I was wanting.

Back to the weather watching – we had 75-80° temps during the day, storms tonight, and possible snow tomorrow. Anyone else having wacky weather lately? Side note – I saw hummus while I was making my sandwich so I’ve put that on my list. I still have another hour or two to go. Hopefully the storms will have passed by then and I can SLEEP.

It’s been a while since I’ve had this one, but I’ve got to say . . . WOW. Glancing briefly at past notes – I was put off by the pungent smell, I thought it was very pretty (still do), and I rated the flavor as good but not great. This is the oldest black tea in my cabinet, dating back to my very first tea subscription box. Verdant was partnering with an essential oil company at the time (which sadly no longer exists according to their defunct website) and included in this blend an oil derived from the cistus plant. I do remember always having to look this one up because I can never remember what cistus is (forever thinking it’s a type of citrus) – it’s part of the rock rose family.

Funnily enough, I was just reading about rock rose in an article about native plants of North Lebanon. My great-grandparents came to the US from Lebanon in the early 1900s, and I’ve been trying to learn more about the region where they lived. Since starting my herbalism courses, I’ve been especially interested in learning about the plants in that area. I’m really intrigued by ancestral herbalism at the moment. So, what a fun coincidence that I would stumble across this tea years later and find that maybe I have some ancestral connection to this plant that grows throughout the Mediterranean. I guess I’m feeling nostalgic as I’m studying and learning this morning, though it’s nostalgia for a place I’ve never been.

Back to that WOW. The flavor definitely wowed me at that first sip. It was quite a surprise. I’m guessing the difference lies in my steeping method. The first notes I wrote about this tea followed the directions given by Verdant, but today I made it as I would any other black tea. I’m sure it’s a matter of preference, but I’m glad I tried this again and followed my gut instead of following the package. It’s been a really great experience.

I gave the first cup of this to a friend at work and am now enjoying the second steep myself. It’s light in body but that is probably to be expected as it’s the second cup. Since I’m so unfamiliar with cistus oil, I did a little reading to find out just what it is. I won’t go into all the details here, but it seems to have quite a few beneficial properties. For anyone who is interested, here is one website that seemed to have some good information about it.

http://www.synergyessentialoils.com/cistus

I have to admit, I became a little afraid of this one when I first opened the pouch. The aroma is so strong and pungent and absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’m not even sure I know how to describe it. Verdant’s description compares this to an Earl Grey, but I’m not getting that at all. My only guess is that this scent belongs to the Cistus oil, a product that I am entirely unfamiliar with. So I’ve held this one back to try as my last sample from Verdant’s January blends box.

I must say that the tea itself is beautiful – there are long, dark, twisted pieces filling up the bag and pops of pink from the rose petals mixed in. The fragrance tones itself down upon steeping and the tea becomes a very pleasant and warming cup of flavorful black tea. I can’t say that I taste the rose or rooibos here, but I can still smell what I believe to be the Cistus oil. It is faint and serves to add another dimension to the already remarkable black tea base. This might be my favorite out of the whole box, which surprises me since it’s the one I was must uncertain about.

I can smell more mint this time. In fact, it smells and tastes like a straight mint tea. I added a bit of cream and the combination of that with the mint is nice.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees + 1 minute and 15 seconds

This second cup brewed up darker than the first in less than half the time. I did catch a whiff of fishiness while it was steeping (it was more like fish food really which is kind of strange), but now I don’t really smell that. There’s not so much mint this time around, but the tea is still incredibly dark.

Third Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees + 5 minutes

I cannot believe how prolific this tea has been! This is my third cup (I’ve been drinking on the same teaspoon of leaves all day) and it’s still brewing up dark almost as soon as I add the water. I let this one steep longer even though the cup was dark from the beginning. The flavor isn’t strong but still tastes like a decent cup of tea.

My first tea on this overcast January morning. With the weather as it is, I fully expect to have more than one cup today.

This tea came to me as part of Verdant’s January blends box. There is plenty of fennel in the mix as well as a little mint and some rooibos. The scent is mostly mint, but I’m also catching a glimpse of the sarsaparilla.

It amazes me that after only thirty seconds of steeping this tea has such a rich color. I guess I’m used to steeping dark teas for several minutes to achieve that kind of richness and flavor. Perhaps this is due to the high quality of the tea? Whatever it is, I’m impressed. The flavor is mint, though I wouldn’t call this a mint tea. It’s barely there, kind of hanging out on the edge of the cup. I’m also not tasting any of the fennel or the sarsaparilla here. It actually feels a bit one-dimensional. This is a very straightforward and uncomplicated tea, light-bodied but certainly not lacking in flavor.

My mom picked up some of this in the summer, so I avoided getting it myself and tried hers over Christmas. Oddly, it just tasted like Laoshan Genmaicha, to me. Lovely green beany flavours, toasty rice. Maybe a touch of vanilla. I certainly didn’t pick out any juniper. If this sticks around, I might grab a sample size to try again, because I don’t feel like I got the full experience. Perhaps just a flukey ingredient assortment in my infuser.

I want so badly to like this tea, but every time I drink it I only taste the rooibos. I’m steeping this at a lower temperature today with more tea to see if I can coax out a different flavor. It certainly smells different this time around – more like cinnamon or cinnamon candies.

So I’m thinking this wasn’t my best idea. It’s very, very weak and has quite an unappetizing smell. I put the tea ball back in while sipping and, though it’s helping a bit, it now tastes a little bitter. Definitely not good. Plus, the cooler this gets the worse it tastes. I can’t even finish it. It’s completely my fault though since I tried to make adjustments on my own.

This is my second time to try this blend. I see cloves and peppercorns in this cup so I’m hoping it’s a little spicy. I can smell the spices, but it’s also smelling a little sweet. I’m always worried about teas with sarsaparilla because I’m afraid it’s going to taste like hot root beer, but that hasn’t been my experience with this tea so far.

The aroma as it’s steeping is almost entirely rooibos. Sweetened with honey, it tastes very slightly spiced – not enough to determine which spice I’m actually tasting. It’s mostly rooibos which is what I experienced the first time around. I used too much water I think so next time I’ll try less and see if that strengthens the flavors. I’m thinking this might be better cold, maybe made like a southern iced tea with sugar.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees + 4 minutes

I’m attempting to re-steep this though I’m nut sure if you are actually supposed to re-steep rooibos. I noticed that the liquid started to color very quickly within the first few seconds, but it didn’t get much darker after that. The liquid does smell spicier this time, like cinnamon. I can taste the cinnamon now too. It still tastes watered down (since I forgot to use less water), but the spices are more prominent this time.

This blend is my first to sample of the three teas that arrived today in Verdant’s January blends box.

Upon opening the pouch, I notice first that the tea smells spiced. There is also a scent there that I can’t recognize. It reminds me of the soaps and essential oils section at my local health food store. Perhaps it’s the neroli? I’m not familiar with it so I cannot say for sure. I can see cloves, cacao nibs, and a small amount of rooibos. The rooibos definitely comes out while steeping and makes the tea smell almost sweet. I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed that I can’t taste any of the spices. It really just tastes like a straight rooibos tea to me, though it certainly is a good rooibos.

First time ever I think I’ve been disappointed by a Verdant blend (that didn’t contain any allergens for me)
I saw licorice and mint on the ingredients and thought – hey I’ll love that, I should get a bag! only to find out it isn’t the licorice I’m used to, much less the licorice Verdant used in their last herbal blend I tried. Or maybe it just pairs with the ingredients differently.
Maybe I oversteeped/overleafed. I’ll try again before submitting a rating

Ugh, I had a big long note written on this and my browser crashed. Le sigh. So I will quickly reiterate – this is citrusy, and the white tea base is quite present and good. The cedar, juniper and birch add a woodsyness reminiscent of the forest, but not of gin in my opinion (which I am okay with lol). Slightly alcoholic like after taste. It is making me sneeze a bit, possibly due to the leaves being a bit dusty. Overall, pretty good. I like the flavor, but not the sneezing haha!

Another tea in The Great Tea Purge/Sampling of 2014. I am trying as many untried teas as I can before the new year, and trying to figure out which ones to rehome/purge from my cupboard. This is next on the list, not really sure why I haven’t tried this one yet, but I know that it looks similar to the previous blends club one that I loved! Jingshan Earl Green!

The dry smell is very lavender, also smells a bit citrusy, so that must be from the fresh green base used in this tea. It smells very calming, I enjoy lavender. It’s not as enjoyable of a scent as the Jingshan Earl Green, as there is a woody note from the birch in the scent of this one. I steeped for 2 minutes with 175 degree water and the steeped smell is lavender, toasty coriander and crisp green tea.

As for the flavor, this is mostly a lavender green tea, with a bit of a toasty note from the coriander. It’s okay, but I found the other lavender green blend more flavorful and interesting. It’s pretty easy to drink, but does get a bit soapy near the end of the sip. The base is not overly present here either, mostly lavender, don’t get much of the other ingredients either unfortunately.

Overall, this is a decent tea that I will probably be able to sip down, as long as I remember to drink it. It’s not a favorite, but it is easy drinking. I might drink up half the bag and give the rest to a friend with similar tastes to me, she also loves lavender. Happy to finally have tried this tea!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas Day yesterday :) I didn’t have time for much tea yesterday, so I didn’t log any notes. But today, after a disastrously messy opening of my tea drawer with company there, I decided I am cleaning house today, and hopefully before the new year. I am trying as many untried teas I have, and making decisions on whether I like them or not. Also purged the final few cups of some that I just couldn’t get down or finish the bag, no matter how I tried. Time for a cleaner cupboard in the new year!

The first teas under fire are all my untried teas in the blends club. As I have mentioned previously, I really dislike the scent of sarsaparilla, and as this tea has it in it, I put off having it. Also, to me the dry smell is strongly of pickles haha! There is a sharp, salty, and slightly sour scent to this one haha. Definitely some spice in there too, as my nose gets a bit tingly. It’s also a good day to try new teas, as I have an allergy pill in my system from yesterday so I shouldn’t react to any haha :)

So yes, finally I brewed up a cup of this after the offputting pickle scent. The steeped tea, after about 2 mins with 195 degree water, thankfully does not smell like pickles :D it is quite nice now, an oolong scent with a toasty, spicy smell. I think it is the schisandra and tulsi contributing. Not much in the way of sarsaparilla either, thank goodness. No idea what Blue Lotus contributes or tastes like, so I cannot comment on that.

As for the flavor, this is kind of a weird one to me. It’s like a very herbal chai. I get the green flavor from the laoshan oolong, which has some of the attributes of Laoshan green to me, a bit beany and vegetal ( I haven’t tried Laoshan Oolong by itself, so just guessing from the flavor). The tulsi is present, which I enjoy, it adds a nice spiciness. There is a faint woodiness from the sarsaparilla, but this is one blend I can tolerate better as it’s muted by the tulsi.

Overall, this is an interesting tea, once I get past the dry scent. It is very savoury, and not one I would drink every day, but it would be good for a salt craving. I am unsure if I will keep this one or re-home it, will have to think it over. Happy I finally got over the smell and tried it though, as it’s not nearly as scary as it smells!

Oh, and I will henceforth refer to my new tastings/cleaning cupboard as The Great Tea Purge/Sampling of 2014. Lol.